2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V Complaints

SAFETY RISK THAT VEHICLE COULD LOSE POWER AND STALL. MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER J1V. NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 18V684 AS OF OCTOBER 4, 1918. IT IS NOW NOVEMBER 1, 2018. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THIS WEEK AND THE REPORT WAS THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT FIX TO DATE. QUESTION: WHAT RELIEF IS AVAILABLE UNTIL FIX DISCOVERED? FREE USE OF CAR PROVIDED BY DEALERSHIP?

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET IN MY PRIUS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WENT TOTALLY DEAD. IT DID NOT GO INTO A LIMP-HOME MODE. I WAS DEAD IN THE WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF A STREET ALL OF A SUDDEN. WE HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH IT OUT OF THE STREET. MECHANIC SAYS ITS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH PRIUS AND INVERTER. THAT WAS PRETTY DANGEROUS AND I WAS GLAD WE WERENT ON THE FREEWAY. WE WERE UNAWARE OF ANY RECALL. THE CAR WENT INTO "DISCO MODE" - EVERY WARNING LIGHT IT HAD WAS ON AND BLINKING BUT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD.

CAR STALLED ON HIGHWAY. WAS JUST MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY, THE CAR STALLED AND DIED. WAS ABLE TO VERY, VERY SLOWLY PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD . THIS WAS A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE INVERTER. COULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT!!! GOT TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE INVERTER AND PARTS WITH AN UPDATED ONE AND SOFTWARE TOO. THERE WAS NO CHARGE TO ME. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THE 2012 INVERTER WAS INFERIOR AND ALL THESE MODELS SHOULD BE UPDATED WITH NEW INVERTERS. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!

ABS BRAKE IS NOT WORKING. WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY TRAFFIC AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DEEP WHEN I STEP ON IT AND IT TOOK ME MORE TIME TO STOP THAN I EXPECTED IT. I WENT AND GOT IT RED THE CODE C1391 ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR.

ENGINE SHAKE ON START UP WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION , SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH POWER.

WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE (SPEED LESS THAN 5 MPH) AND APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR SEEMED TO SPEED UP. THE CAR JUMPED THE CURB AND STRUCK A TREE. A GOOD SAMARITAN ASSISTED AND ACTUALLY GOT IN THE CAR AND FOUND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE BRAKES RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THE CAR HAS EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. IN 2014 WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND STRUCK THE HOUSE. SHORTLY AFTER THE BRAKES RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATIONS. TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED AND INSPECTED THE CAR'S COMPUTER AND BRAKING SYSTEM PER CASE NUMBER 1410012557. AFTER THE INSPECTION TOYOTA SAID THAT THERE WERE NO BRAKE ISSUES FOUND WITH THE CAR AND STATED THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM IN THESE CARS.

BRAKE ACTIVATOR UNIT FAILED AFTER 4 MONTHS OF REPORTING THE ISSUE TO TOYOTA. IT FOLLOWS THE CONDITIONS INDICATED ON TOYOTA WEN ZG1. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN BRAKING MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. VEHICLE WAS CONTROLLABLE AND ALLOW FOR SECURE STOP. BRAKE RESPONSE WAS SLUGGISH AND HARD ON THE FOOT.

ON JAN. 3, 2018 WHILE MOVING AT A MINIMUM SPEED (LESS THAN 15 MPH) I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED (BRAKES, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL) ALONG WITH A WARNING SOUND. THIS WAS ON A CITY STREET, DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE TO A STOP. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE AT A VERY LOW SPEED BUT SOON LOST ALL ABILITY TO BRAKE THE VEHICLE AND I COASTED TO A STOP. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. I WAS TOLD THE BRAKE ACTUATOR HAD FAILED AND WAS CHARGED $3288 PLUS TAX FOR THE REPAIR. I RECEIVED THE CAR ON JAN. 9, 2018 FROM THE DEALER. ON JAN. 12, 2018 THE CAR FAILED ONCE AGAIN IN THE EXACT SAME MANNER. THE DEALER KEPT THE CAR UNTIL FEB. 1, 2018 AT WHICH TIME THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO ME AT NO CHARGE, STATING THEY HAD CHANGED THE SAME EXACT PART AS BEFORE. THE CAR HAS 84,000 MILES AND I PURCHASED IT NEW. I UNDERSTAND TOYOTA HAS ISSUED RECALLS FOR THIS ISSUE ON OTHER MODELS BUT NOT ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE RETAINED MY REPAIR INVOICES BUT AM UNABLE TO UPLOAD THEM AT THIS TIME.

ON SUNDAY DECEMBER 17, 2017 AT ABOUT 3:00 PM I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY (WIFE AND TWO KIDS) IN SOUTH FLORIDA ON US HIGHWAY 1. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55 MPH. THEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING A NUMBER OF TROUBLE INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON I WAS DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITH JUST ENOUGH GAS PEDAL INPUT TO MAINTAIN MY 55 MPH SPEED. STARTLED BY THE LIGHTS I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF THE THROTTLE AND ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKE PEDAL I HAD LITTLE TO NO BRAKES AND I HAD TO 'STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL' (PRESS IT AS HARD AS I COULD) TO GET THE CAR TO SLOW AND EVENTUALLY STOP WHILE PULLING ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I WAS SCARED AND SHOCKED AT THE SAME TIME. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON THINKING IT MIGHT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR HOME AND THE VERY NEXT MORNING TOOK IT TO SOUTH DADE TOYOTA. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT HOME AND TO THE DEALER BY DRIVING VERY SLOW KEEPING A VERY LARGE SPACE CUSHION AND STANDING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN I NEEDED TO STOP. WHILE I DID NOT CRASH UNDERSTANDABLY I WAS SCARED BECAUSE YOU SHOULD NOT JUST LOSE BRAKES OUT OF THE BLUE. AT THE DEALER THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT COSTING $5734.94. I DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT TOYOTA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION ZG1 FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM BUT WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT MY VIN WAS NOT PART OF THE PROGRAM EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE EXACT PROBLEM. I REACHED OUT TO TOYOTA COOPERATE AND WHILE THEY AGREED THAT YES I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM MY VIN WAS NOT PART OF THE PROGRAM (THEY GAVE ME A CASE # 1712180647). HOWEVER THEY DID OFFER $2207.57 AS A GOOD WILL GESTURE TOWARDS THE REPAIR. I PAID $3527.37. TOYOTA KNOWS OF A LIFE SAFETY PROBLEM AND HAS CHOSEN TO LIMIT THE PROGRAM. MY MILEAGE WAS 106,451 AND UNDER THE PROGRAM WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED.

MY CAR HAS STARTED TO BURN OIL AT AN ALARMING RATE: 2 QUARTS BETWEEN OIL CHANGES AT 5,000 MILES. THIS DOES NOT SEEM NORMAL. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A LEAK.